Paediatric food allergies: What you need to know

This Parenting Insights session helps parents understand some of the common food allergies that can occur from infancy and into childhood.

It is common for infants to cry or show fussy behaviour, usually it is part of normal brain development and the child is otherwise healthy. However on occasion there could be other underlying causes such as cow’s milk allergy or gastro-oesophageal reflux (GOR). In this session Dr Maria Menkens Paediatrician for Greenslopes Private Hospital reviews cow milk protein allergy in infants and its treatment and briefly looks at the treatment options for GOR and some general observations on infant behaviour.   

There are other food allergies which occur more commonly with an older infant or toddler. Methods of diagnosis for these children will also be discussed as well as treatment options. 

Finally, this session on food allergies will review food refusal in toddlers!  This is a very common and this session offers parents some reassurance and some strategies to assist them in managing a toddler with a 'fussy' palate.